Understanding Charlie
by Purple Roses Poetry
Summary: Everyone is shocked when they find out that Charlie is in the hospital, but there are some letters that may be able to help Patrick and Sam understand their quiet friend better.
1. Chapter 1

Patrick slowly walked down the white corridors of the hospital. He was going to visit his best friend, Charlie. It was still so strange for him every time he thought about Charlie being the one in the hospital. He guessed it was because he always imagined that if one of his friends where in the hospital it would be Bob for overdosing, or Mary Elizabeth when her parents realized how angry she was, but never Charlie.

Charlie was so sweet and quiet. He barely ever talked, but he never minded because he was just content with watching their group of friends, and listening to them, and being with them. He made mixed tapes, and had crush on Sam, and was on a first name basis with his English teacher. Charlie was such a good kid. He did great in school, and cared about his siblings, and recited poetry at the Christmas party. He listened to Patrick when he asked him not to call him Nothing and when he told him not to tell anyone about him and Brad, and he didn't even get mad when Patrick kissed him after he had been dumped by Brad. He just could tell how Patrick was feeling and understood. He was truly a wallflower. And to Patrick at least, wallflowers didn't seem like the kind of people who had mental breakdowns.

So at first Patrick had thought it was a mistake. _No Charlie's not in the hospital. He's at home, probably reading classics or writing poetry about Sam as he listens to _Asleep_. But definitely not in the hospital._ But then Patrick started to think about how Charlie was found sleeping in the snow on New Year's morning, and how he told Sam and him that he thought the sidewalk was moving (Patrick had just thought he was paranoid about the LSD), and how he looked like he was in a trance when he unfortunately kissed Sam during truth or dare, and how sick he looked the night before Sam left. Then Patrick thought about how Charlie was able to beat up Brad and all of his goons, and how he was shocked he was by how violent Charlie could be. He realized how Charlie was so enraged while he was fighting them, but his emotions changed as soon as it was over, and how suddenly he looked confused and scared. Patrick realized that in that moment Charlie was scared of himself, and he realized that he didn't know Charlie as well as he thought he did. This disappointed him because Charlie knew Patrick and everyone else so well. Charlie was always so anxious and worried, and cried at everything, and it turns out that he wasn't just an extra sensitive kid, there was something seriously wrong with him, but he was just so quiet that nobody noticed until he was too far gone.

Patrick wished he could help Charlie like Charlie had helped him after the breakup with Brad. He wished could have saved Charlie in his moment of need, but during that moment he didn't even know that Charlie needed saving. Now all he could do was support Charlie as he recovered. If he recovered.

Patrick didn't want to be so pessimistic, but he and already visited Charlie three times, and each time Charlie just sat on his bed and stared at the nothingness that was the wall in front of him. He didn't speak, or move, or get excited when Patrick walked in the room. How could Patrick have taken that for granted? How excited Charlie always was to see him? _Him! _ The last time that Patrick had visited Charlie he left especially disturbed because while he was there it was time for Charlie to eat lunch. Charlie's mom had to literally spoon feed (like how babies are feed baby food) a cup of pudding to him. Patrick just couldn't believe that poor Charlie wouldn't even, no, couldn't even eat on his own. When Patrick was driving home that day he gathered that if Charlie couldn't eat on his own, then he couldn't brush his teeth on his own, or shower on his own, or brush his hair on his own, or get dressed on his own, or probably even go to the bathroom on his own. Patrick had to pull over for a couple of minutes because thinking about how broken inside Charlie really must be was making him dizzy.

So Patrick stood outside of Charlie's room and tried to mentally prepare himself before going in again. This had become a ritual ever since the first day when he saw how sick Charlie actually was. But when Patrick opened the door he didn't see what he prepared himself to. Instead of staring blankly at the wall, Charlie was looking at his mother, and he was nodding and giving her small smiles as she talked to him and petted his hair in that way mothers do. When Charlie noticed Patrick standing in the door way he looked excited again. Patrick breathed a sigh of relief and noticed that Charlie was holding a "GET WELL SOON" teddy bear that someone must have bought him from the gift shop downstairs. Patrick was so relieved. For the first time since he had gotten the news, he was sure that Charlie would, in fact, "GET WELLL SOON".

Later that day, Patrick sat on his bed and listened to the mixed tape Charlie had made him for Christmas. He had had a really good visit with Charlie, and was still smiling about it. It felt so good to know that Charlie was on the road to recovery.

During the visit, Charlie _had _looked like he was zoning out a couple of times, but for the most part Charlie was really happy that Patrick had come to see him. He told Patrick that he was surprised because he really didn't think he would get any other visitors other than his family. Patrick felt so frustrated because he just couldn't get Charlie to see how special he was to him and all of their other friends too. Charlie also looked really upset when Patrick told him that he already been to visit him three times. Charlie told Patrick that the last thing he remembered was being very upset and writing a letter, and the next thing he knew he was in the hospital. Patrick couldn't imagine how frightening that would be. Waking up in a hospital and not remembering how you got there or what had happened since.

"Who were you writing a letter to?" Patrick didn't really know why he asked this. He just found it strange that someone would write a letter while they were mentally breaking down, and that made him wonder if Charlie was writing a suicide note. Maybe that's why Charlie was in the hospital?

"Oh. I didn't actually send the letter to anybody. I just pretended I was writing to this really great person who would want to listen to me and be my friend. I do it all the time. It's like writing in a journal, but with some feeling of communication. I always thought that if I met somebody who understood me I could give them the letters and they could be my friend."

Patrick was so relieved that it no longer seemed like Charlie was writing a suicide note, but he also felt bad that Charlie had to literally make up a person so he could have someone to listen to him. He wished he could have just talked to him, or Sam, or even one of their other friends. Charlie always listened to Patrick. Patrick wished he had listened to Charlie.

For the rest of the visit Patrick just told jokes and acted like they were in school or at the Big Boy, anywhere but the hospital. This seemed to really cheer Charlie up, and Patrick left feeling lighter. Patrick really wanted to be the one who was allowed to read Charlie's letters, but that was Charlie's chose, not his.

The next time Patrick went to visit, Charlie told him about the terrible things his Aunt Helen had done to him when he was a little kid. Patrick was so shocked. Charlie was always talking about how much he had loved his aunt. Sam had even told Patrick that Charlie had told her that he was so sad after his aunt died that he had to be hospitalized and was left back a year in school. It didn't make any sense. How could someone do something so horrible to sweet, quiet, innocent Charlie?

The good news is that Charlie seemed to be getting better. Each day he was happier, and Patrick thought that Charlie must have talked more during his visits than he did during the entire school year.

One tine he took all of their friends with him to see Charlie (well, except for Sam because she was still at Penn State). Charlie was so excited to see everyone, and again Patrick couldn't help but notice how surprised he seemed that they all were so concerned about him. That day Charlie was also particularly happy because Sam had apparently sent him a really nice card and told him that she would come and visit him before summer was over.

Charlie was released from the hospital just before summer ended. Now he, Patrick, and Sam were sitting at their favorite both in the Big Boy, and they were all catching up. Charlie had given them the letters that he had told Patrick about at the beginning of the summer, and he told them he wanted them to read them. Sam was worried that Charlie would regret letting them read something that was so personal, but Charlie explained that the letters were about all of them, not just him, so Sam agreed.

Then they left the Big Boy and they drove through the tunnel. Charlie stood up in the back, and he and Sam shared a kiss, and Patrick drove. And as Patrick was driving he was so happy because he knew that once he read the letters he would finally understand the mystery that is Charlie.

The End.

Author's Note: You probably already know this but, for the record, I do not own The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Also, this is the first fanfiction I have ever written, so if you want to review please be nice. Thanks!


	2. Author's Note

Authors Note:

I have written a sequel to this story. It's called The Reading of the Letters. I posted it on an hour ago. It's about Patrick and Sam reading Charlie's letters. I hope that everyone enjoys it. Unlike this one-shot it will be multiple chapters.

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorite, or followed this story. You were all so nice and gave such positive feedback. This was my first fanfiction and I honestly didn't think it was that great. Your kindness is what has inspired me to write the sequel. I hope it meets all of your expectations.

Love,

Purple Roses Poetry


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